Coupling for vacuum cleaners



Sept. 28, 1937. A. A. FORSBERG COUPLING FOR VACUUM CLEANERS Filed April 18, 1955 Patented Sept. 28, 1937 UNITED STATES 2,094,141 COUPLING FOR VACUUM CLEANERS.

Axel Albert Forsberg, Stockholm, Sweden, as-

signor to Electrolux Corporation, Dover, Del. a corporation of Delaware 3 Application April 18, 1935, Serial No. 17,029 In Germany April 18, 1934 3 Claims.

My invention relates to means for securing a rigid hollow end member to a hose, such as a vacuum cleaner hose.

One of the objects of my invention is to pro- I vide a secure connection between the hose and the end member without requiring the use of 'glue or other adhesive, although an adhesive may be employed if desired. A further object is to provide a smooth, stream-lined interior which will not interfere with the passage of air or dirt Fig. 2 is a viewr-partially in cross-section showing an embodiment of the invention in which the protecting sleeves are conically shaped;

Fig. 3 shows another embodiment of the invention; and v Fig. 4 a further embodiment of the nvention.

In Fig. 1 reference character III de gnates a vacuum cleaner to the suction opening of which is connected a hose II which however may, if de-' sired, be connected to the blowing opening of the apparatus. In Fig. 2 one end [2 of the hose,

II is shown partly in section. The inner wall of the end l2 of the hose is lined with a sleeve l3, while its outer surface is surrounded byanother sleeve it. As appears clearly from the figure, both sleeve l3 and sleeve I are conical so that,

when the two sleeves are in position, the end l2 of the hose also assumes a conical shape. The mounting of the protecting sleeves is preferably carried out in such a way that the sleeve It, which is flared at it, its outer end, is first inserted in the hose so far that the flare l5 abuts against the end of the wall of the hose. The sleeve II which has previously been pushed relatively far on to the hose is now pulled towards that end of the hose which is provided with sleeve It. The dimensions of the cones. l3 and I are such that, when the sleeve II is pulled forcibly to the right (Fig. 2), the. hose is pressed firmly between the sleeves. In certain circumstances the hose l l may first be pulled entirely through sleeve l4, until the parts assume the position shown'in Fig. 2. The reciprocal axial movement of the sleeves l3 and I4, for clamping the end l2 of the hose therebetween, may preferably be effected by machinery or constmctiqn- The hose II itself is i this case made of a resllient'materlal the material of the hose against the wall of the such as rubber. To protect the operator from injury the inner end of the sleeve I4 is provided with an inward-directed and preferably elastic flanging' It. The opposite end of sleeve I4 is formed as a connecting member so, as to per- 5' .mit the hose being connected to a vacuum cleaner, a nozzle or the like. The connecting member shown by way of example includes a hollow membar I! provided with outer threads and rotatably Journalled on the outwardly extended end of the 10 sleeve l4. Axial movement of the member I! is prevented partly by a front flange i8 on part It and partly by an outwardly extending annular bead l9.- Between parts and I1 is an annular pacldng 20 'of felt or the like. The inner end of 15 the sleeve I3 is provided with a bevel 21 to prevent objects passing through the hose, such as matches or the like, from being caught on the edge, as this would easily cause choking. It is evident that in an embodiment such as that 20. shown in Fig. 2 the connection and tightness between parts l2, l3 and It will be the better and firmer, the heavier the tensile stress on the hose ll. Instead of having both members 13 and I4 F conically shaped, it might under certain circumstances be preferable to have one of the sleeves, for instance, the sleeve I3, cylindrical and to 'make that part-of sleeve I which surrounds'the hose end slightly conical in such manner thatthe wall of the hose end l2 will-be subjected to a 30 wedging action when sleeve I4 is pulled or pressed towards the right end of the hose (Fig. 2).

In Fig. 3 the inner sleeve l3 extends beyond the end of the hose and forms the connecting member 2| for connecting the hose, the connecting member being in this case formed with a conical part 22., I This connection is not rotatable as in the case described above. The outer protecting sleeve i4 is, at its front end, bent inwards more or less at a right angle, as shown at 23, while the opposite rear end is equipped with an outwardly extending flange 24. The two sleeves I3 and l 4 are in this case not conical but cylindrical. They are kept fixed to the hose owing to the fact that, after they have been inserted in the end of the hose and pushed on over it, respectively, an annular bead 25 is pressed in from without. This deformation of the outer sleeve 14 will press inner sleeve I3, or the latter may be provided with a corresponding annular groove 26 into which extends that part of the hose wall which is pressed inwards by the bead 25. In this way an extremely simple and absolutely reliable connec-- tion is ensured between the connecting part of q the hose and the hose itself, at the same time resulting in an eflicient and reliable protecting device for the end of the hose. Besides, the fastening device described is extremely simple and 5 cheap in manufacture. The inner closing edge of the sleeve I3 may, in accordance with the corresponding sleeve ofFig. 2, be provided with a bevel 21. In the embodiment according to Fig. 4 the Inner sleeve I3 serves, contrary to the embodiment according to Fig. 3, for a connection with the connecting part of the hose and acts at the same time as a protecting device for the end of the hose. The outer sleeve I4 has a resiliently 15 mounted connecting member 28 provided with a number of elastic balls 29 which may penetrate into a corresponding annular groove in the vacuum cleaner or the like. The inner end of the sleeve I4 is provided with a preferably elastic flange 30 as well as a stop 3|, these parts forming an annular recess 32, When the sleeves I3 and I4 are fixed to the end of the hose, a bead 33 in alignment with recess 32 is pressed outwards in sleeve I3 by means of rolling or the like, with the result that the material of the hose wall is pressed into the recess 32. The mode of fixing is thus similar to that described in connection with Fig. 3. The inner sleeve I3 is not only flared at I at its front end, in accordance 30 with the embodiment of Fig. 2, but also the inner end may be flared outwardly, as shown at 34. This flaring of the end of the sleeve is preferably carried out after the sleeve has been inserted in the end of the hose with the help of a punch or the like, in which case the inner edge of the sleeve preferably penetrates somewhat into the wall of the hose so as to ensure a smooth transition between the hose and the sleeve l3. This is of great importance, as it will particularly 40 prevent objects from sticking at this place. If the flaring of the end of the sleeve should not sumce for this purpose, for example if the hose is made of relatively hard material such as metal or the like; in which case the edge of the sleeve 45 penetrates only a little into the material of the hose, the edge may in this case be bevelled as in the embodiment described above. The inner sleeve I3 has thus a stream-line shape. The inner diameter of the sleeve I3 is preferably made 50ras large as or larger than the inner diameter of,

the hose.

' In accordance with the sleeve I3 of Fig. 4 the corresponding sleeves of- Figs. 2 and 3 may be flared outwards, as shown at 34 in Fig. 4. A 55 sleeve I3 flared in this manner at both ends should'preferably, in the embodiment according to Fig. 2, be mounted when the hose I I is manufactured, that is the hose is preferably supplied with such sleeves at both ends by the manufac- 60 turer of the hose proper. In the embodiment according to Fig. 2 it is easy to remove the hose from the sleeve. I4 and the connecting part II, this being of considerable advantage, if the hose is to be repaired or replaced.

65 In certain circumstances, for example in the embodiment according to Fig. 4, it is not necessary to form a bead 33 in the inner sleeve I3, but the whole sleeve l3 may, when this sleeve and sleeve l4 have been placed on the end of the hose, be rolled out in such a way that the Wall of the sleeve I3 is entirely or partly sunk into the wall of the hose. In this case an inner flare 34 is not necessary, because by sinking the sleeve into the material of the hose itself a smooth transition is ensured between the inner wall of the end I2 of the hose and the sleeve I3. To press out the sleeve I3 in such a way in some. cases use may be made of a punch or the like. If the sleeves I3 and I4 are fixed .to the hose in the manner just described an excellent connection between these parts is obtained.

What I claim is:

1. In a hose, in combination, a conduit member, an inner sleeve within one end of said member, and an outer sleeve around said end of said member, said member being clamped between said sleeves, both ends of said inner sleeve being flared outwardly to provide for stream line flow of fluid therethrough, one of said flared ends extending axially-and radially beyond said end of said conduit member and the other of said flared ends being embedded in said conduit member whereby the clamping effect is increased.

2. In a hose, in combination, a conduit member, an inner sleeve within said member adjacent to one end thereof, an outer sleeve around said member adjacent to said end, the portion of said outer sleeve close to said end having an inner diameter substantially the same as the outer diameter ofsaid member, an intermediate portion having an enlarged diameter, and the end of said outer sleeve remote from the end of said member being turned back within the portion of enlarged diameter to form a smooth end and to provide an annular space, and an outwardly extending annular ridge on said inner sleeve concentric with said annular space whereby the material of said conduit member is forced into'said space.

3. In a hose, in combination, a conduit member, an inner sleeve within said member adjacent to one end thereof, an outer sleeve around said member adjacent to said end, the portion of said outer sleeve close to said end having. an inner diameter substantially the same as the outer diameter of said member, an intermediate portion having an enlarged diameter, and the end of said outer sleeve remote from the end of said member being turned back within the portion of enlarged diameter to form a smooth end and to provide an annular space, an outwardly extending annular ridge on said inner sleeve concentric with said annular space whereby the material of said conduit member is forced into said space, and a coupling sleeve slidably mounted on the first mentioned portion of said outer sleeve, said portion of enlarged diameter serving as a stop to limit movement of said coupling- 

